Wheel mounting for a vehicular excavating machine

ABSTRACT

The two front wheels of an excavating machine whose rear end is normally supported on soil gripping feet, and whose frame carries a bucket on a swinging boom are rotatably attached to two arms which can be shifted transversely on a guide rail of the frame and project forwardly from the frame a distance greater than the wheel radius so that the wheels may be shifted toward and away from a position in which they are longitudinally aligned with the frame for movement on narrow paths while permitting the wheels to be moved apart for stability of the frame during excavating.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Ernst Menzi Widnau, Switzerland [21] Appl. No. 828,453 [22] Filed May 26, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 7, 1971 [73] Assignee Ernst Menzi A.G.,

Eidnau, Switzerland [32] Priorities Jan. 30, 1968 [3 3] Austria [31] A 929/68;

May 27, 1968, Austria, No. 5026/68 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 794,310, Jan. 27, 1969, now Patent No. 3,534,877. This application May 26, 1969, Ser. No. 828,453 The portion of the term of the patent subsequent to Mar. 18, 1986, has been disclaimed.

[54] WHEEL MOUNTTNG FOR A VEHICULAR EXCAVATING MACHINE 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Ci 214/138, I 280/34 [51 int. Cl E02f 3/75 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Attorney-Kelman and Berman ABSTRACT: The two front wheels of an excavating machine whose rear end is normally supported on soil gripping feet, and whose frame carries a bucket on a swinging boom are rotatably attached to two arms which can be shifted transversely on a guide rail of the frame and project forwardly from the frame a distance greater than the wheel radius so that the wheels may be shifted toward and away from a position in which they are longitudinally aligned with the frame for movement on narrow paths while permitting the wheels to be moved apart for stability ofthe frame during excavating.

PATENTED BE!) 7 !97! W N III!!! .0 Illllllll T M 2 ll!! Q lbw A. 3\ 4 w I A 7 z mvsuron,

WHEEL MOUNTING FOR A VEHICULAR EXCAVATING MACHINE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 794,3l0, filed Jan. 27, 1969, and now US. Pat. No. 3,534,877.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to construction machinery, and particularly to small, vehicular excavating machines.

A machine with the improvement of which this invention is particularly concerned has been described in my copending application referred to above and illustrated in FIG. 1 of that application. The machine has a frame which is approximately horizontal in the normal operating position. The front end of the frame carries a pair of coaxial wheels, and the rear end is equipped with soil-gripping feet. The frame carries a rotatable platform on which the power plant of the machine and an operator's cab are arranged. A boom is hingedly fastened to the platform, and its free end carries a bucket. When the bucket engages the ground in a suitable manner, either the wheels or the soil-gripping feet can be lifted from the ground, and the excavating machine may be moved about in this manner without the use of a tractor.

In order to provide adequate stability to the machine while the boom is loaded and the platform swings about its vertical axis, the wheels must be set widely apart, and a track width of at least 2 meters has been found necessary for even small machines of my earlier invention. Such a track width is greater than that permitted on many highways. Moreover, the excavating machines of the invention have been found suitable for applications, such as the digging of graves in cemeteries, where narrow lanes only may be available for movement to and from an excavation site. A track width of 2 meters, while desirable during excavation often prevents the use of the machines where they would otherwise be advantageous.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an improved excavating machine which can move in narrow paths without loss of stability when the machine stands still during excavating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the track width of the excavating machine described above can be varied as needed if the wheels are rotatably mounted on supporting arms which project from the front end of the frame in a direction transverse to the common direction of the wheel axes and away from the rear end which carries the gripper foot or feet, and if a sleeve on at least one of the arms engages a guide member extending on the frame in the afore-mentioned common direction so that the sleeve can move on the guide member in the direction of the axes.

The exact nature of this invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification relating to the annexed drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing FIG. I shows a small, vehicular excavating machine of this invention in fragmentary top plan view; and

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in side elevational section on the line A-A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Only as much of the excavating machine is shown in the drawing as is needed for an understanding of this invention. The illustrated portion includes the front end of the normally horizontal frame I. The platform which rotates on the frame about a vertically extending axis is indicated in phantom view in FIG. I by a chain-dotted circular arc. The platform encloses or carries the power plant of the machine, normally a diesel engine, the operator's cab, and the pivots for a boom whose free end carries an excavating bucket or similar tool.

The front end of the frame 1 is normally supported on two wheels 2 which are mounted on respective, coaxial, short axles 3 by means of conventional wheel flanges (FIG. 2). The nonillustrated rear end of the frame I normally rests on two soilgripping feet which may be swung about vertical axes to vary their transverse spacing. The track width of the wheels 2 may also be varied.

Each axle projects in a laterally outward direction from an associated supporting arm 4 which is a box plate girder elongated longitudinally of the frame 1. The visible part of the latter consists of two transversely spaced, longitudinal girders 10 whose front ends are fixedly connected by a transverse rail 7. The rail is approximately T-shaped in cross section and the free edges of its flange project upwardly and downwardly beyond the remainder of the frame I, as is best seen in FIG. 2. The rail 7 is conformingly enveloped by a heavy sleeve 6 welded to the rear end of each supporting arm 4 so as to provide a rigid connection between the arm and the sleeve. The two sleeves are identical, and are heavy C-channels whose webs slide along the flange face of the channel 7 when the sleeves are shifted transversely on the frame I, as indicated by a double arrow 9.

Stops 8 at the two end of the guide rail 7 limit the outward movement of the sleeves 6 to respective position in which the arm 4 associated with the sleeve 6 is longitudinally aligned with a corresponding longitudinal frame member 10, as is shown for the left front wheel in FIG. I. When a sleeve 6 moves on the guide rail 7 away from the corresponding stop 8, the wheel 2 is retracted inward beyond the lateral limits of the machine generally defined by the girder 10. The length of the arm 4 between the guide rail 7 and the axis of rotation of the wheel 2 is greater than the radius of the wheel 2 so that the wheel may be aligned longitudinally with the frame I, as shown in FIG. I for the right front wheel.

The positions of the arms 4 shown in FIG. I do not normally occur simultaneously during operation of the excavating machine nor during movement of the machine toward and away from the excavation site. While the machine travels, both wheels are retracted to the position of the right wheel in FIG. 1. When the excavation site is reached, the bucket is pressed by the boom against the ground ahead of the frame 1 until the front end of the frame is lifted. Clamping screws II on each sleeve 6 which normally hold the sleeve in a desired position are loosened, the sleeve is shifted laterally outward on the rail 7 until it strikes the stop 8, and the screw 11 is tightened again. The bucket is then lifted relative to the frame 1 until the widespread wheels 2 stand on the ground and support the front end of the machine. The wheels are retracted by reversing the afore-described sequence of steps when it is desired to move the machine from the excavation site.

Various modifications may obviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention. The length of the path between the two stops 8 may be longer or shorter than that specifically illustrated for greater or smaller maximum track width as the nature of the machine, and particularly the length of its boom may require. The rail 7 thus may project laterally beyond the girders 10. At least some of the advantages of this invention can be achieved if one of the arms 4 is fixedly fastened to the frame 1, and only the other arm can be shifted as indicated by the arrow 9. It has been found quite adequate on a small machine to shift the sleeves 6 by hand, as illustrated, but two threaded spindles may be mounted on the frame I to engage respective internal threads of the arms 4 or the sleeves 6 in such a manner that the arms move individually transversely of the frame 1 when the spindles are turned. The spindles may be replaced by hydraulic or pneumatic jacks if suitable fluid under pressure is available on the machine.

Other variations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art on the basis of the above teachings. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention can be practiced otherwise than specifically disclosed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicular excavating machine including a normally horizontally extending, elongated frame having two transversely spaced longitudinal frame members and a transverse frame member connecting said longitudinal frame members at one end of said frame; excavating tools mounted on said frame; a pair of wheels rotatably mounted on said one end; a gripper foot at the other end of the frame, the excavating means including means for lifting the wheels from the ground while the gripper foot engages the ground, the improvement which comprises:

a. two supporting arms, each arm being mounted on said transverse member for sliding movement between a first position and a second position and projecting longitudinally from said frame,

I. said wheels being mounted on said arms respectively for rotation about respective axes extending in a common direction and spaced from said frame a distance greater than the radius of the associated wheel,

2. each wheel being axially offset from the associated arm in a direction away from the other wheel; and

fastening means on each arm for securing the arm in each of said positions thereof while the other arm is in the first position and while the other arm is in the second position of said other arm,

1. each wheel being longitudinally aligned with a respective longitudinal frame member in the first position of the associated arm and being laterally offset from said longitudinal frame member in a direction away from the other longitudinal frame member in the second position of said associated arm, whereby said wheel projects laterally beyond said frame in said second position.

2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said longitudinal frame members defining the lateral limits of said frame, said wheel being retracted within said lateral limits in said first position of the associated arm and entirely outside said limits in said second position of the arm.

3. ln a machine as set forth in claim 2, a sleeve fixedly fastened to each of said arms, said sleeve conformingly engaging said transverse frame member and thereby mounting the corresponding arm on said transverse member for said sliding movement.

4. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said transverse frame member being substantially T-shaped in section perpendicular to said common direction, and said sleeve being substantially C-shaped in said section.

5. ln a machine as set forth in claim 4 and stop means member limiting movement of said sleeves on said transverse frame to respective second positions in which said arms are longitudinally substantially aligned with said longitudinal frame members, each wheel being offset from the associated arm in a direction away from the other arm.

l I? i t t 

1. In a vehicular excavating machine including a normally horizontally extending, elongated frame having two transversely spaced longitudinal frame members and a transverse frame member connecting said longitudinal frame members at one end of said frame; excavating tools mounted on said frame; a pair of wheels rotatably mounted on said one end; a gripper foot at the other end of the frame, the excavating means including means for lifting the wheels from the ground while the gripper foot engages the ground, the improvement which comprises: a. two supporting arms, each arm being mounted on said transverse member for sliding movement between a first position and a second position and projecting longitudinally from said frame,
 1. said wheels being mounted on said arms respectively for rotation about respective axes extending in a common direction and spaced from said frame a distance greater than the radius of the associated wheel,
 2. each wheel being axially offset from the associated arm in a direction away from the other wheel; and b. fastening means on each arm for securing the arm in each of said positions thereof while the other arm is in the first position and while the other arm is in the second position of said other arm,
 1. each wheel being longitudinally aligned with a respective longitudinal frame member in the first position of the associated arm and being laterally offset from said longitudinal frame member in a direction away from the other longitudinal frame member in the second position of said associated arm, whereby said wheel projects laterally beyond said frame in said second position.
 2. each wheel being axially offset from the associated arm in a direction away from the other wheel; and b. fastening means on each arm for securing the arm in each of said positions thereof while the other arm is in the first position and while the other arm is in the second position of said other arm,
 2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said longitudinal frame members defining the lateral limits of said frame, said wheel being retracted within said lateral limits in said first position of the associated arm and entirely outside said limits in said second position of the arm.
 3. In a machine as set forth in claim 2, a sleeve fixedly fastened to each of said arms, said sleeve conformingly engaging said transverse frame member and thereby mounting the corresponding arm on said transverse member for said sliding movement.
 4. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said transverse frame member being substantially T-shaped in section perpendicular to said common direction, and said sleeve being substantially C-shaped in said section.
 5. In a machine as set forth in claim 4, and stop means member limiting movement of said sleeves on said transverse frame to respective second positions in which said arms are longitudinally substantially aligned with said longitudinal frame members, each wheel being offset from the associated arm in a direction away from the other arm. 